Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth

by Nancy Matsumoto, Michael Tremblay, John Gauntner (Foreword)

"Nancy and Michael co-authored this book that focuses on the ingredients in sake and well as the microbes and people that magically transform those ingredients into the beverage we all love. The stories that come out of their research trips across Japan to dozens of craft breweries illustrate the skill, nuance and fun that goes into crafting Japanese sake. You'll come away with a new appreciation for the history of this ancient beverage and the book also helps beginners and experienced sake drinkers alike gain new perspective on appreciating what's new in the world of sake as well." -- Sake Revolution Podcast, Part One and Part Two

Genres: Cookbooks

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2022

About the author

Nancy Matsumoto is a James Beard award-winning writer and editor who specializes in the areas of regenerative agriculture, food, saké, arts and culture. She has been a contributor to The Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, TheAtlantic.com, People, Food & Wine, Saveur, The Los Angeles Times, Civil Eats, and NPR, among other publications.

Her next book, “Reaping What She Sows: How Women Are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System,” is due out from Melville House Publishing on October 28, 2025.

“By the Shore of Lake Michigan,” a translation of a book of Japanese tanka poetry by Nancy’s grandparents, Tomiko and Ryokuyō Matsumoto, in collaboration with translators Mariko Aratani and Kyoko Miyabe, was published in October 2024 by UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press.

Nancy’s book "Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth," co-written with Michael Tremblay, was awarded a James Beard book award in 2023, was longlisted for the UK's André Simon 2022 food and drink book awards, and named a top 10 finalist for Tales of the Cocktail Foundation 2023 Spirited Awards.

Other books include "Displaced: Manzanar 1942-1945, " "Unforgotten: Voices From Heart Mountain: An Oral History of the Incarceration," co-written with Joanne Oppenheim.

Reviews

[Mat Davies]

This book is genuinely epic. I came across it in a bookshop in Nagoya, and since I hadn’t picked up a sake book in a while, I was immediately drawn in. The paper quality is excellent, the photography is beautiful, and the topics looked engaging—so I bought it. I’m glad I did.

The opening section features clear, welcoming infographics covering sake types, rice, tasting notes, and food pairings. The visual guides to pairing are especially helpful—and even the slightly surprising combinations (like sake with a burger) feel convincing once you try them.

Pairings range across cheese, fish, meats, and more, making this a valuable resource for anyone wanting to deepen their appreciation of sake through food. Combined with the high production quality, the book feels like a worthy follow-up to The Sake Handbook.

What really stands out is how personal the book feels. The authors’ journeys, interviews, and brewery visits give it warmth and character. At the same time, it invites the reader into that experience. If you’ve visited places like Hiroshima or Suwa, those sections resonate even more ... you start connecting your own memories to what’s on the page.

For me, the book didn’t just inform but it enhanced my past experiences and inspired future ones.
Each chapter ends with recommended sake selections linked to the topic at hand—whether yeast, water, or rice—which adds a practical, almost immersive element to the reading experience.

Overall, it’s as educational as it is atmospheric: a collection of stories that lets you almost taste the sake and sense the history as you read.

[Yunpeng Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good sake 101 with lots of stories to help associate sake with its making